Another type of circuit that produces the same output waveform as the full

wave rectifier circuit above, is that of the Full Wave Bridge Rectifier.
This type of single phase rectifier uses four individual rectifying diodes
connected in a closed loop “bridge” configuration to produce the desired
output.

The main advantage of this bridge circuit is that it does not require a
special centre tapped transformer, thereby reducing its size and cost. The
single secondary winding is connected to one side of the diode bridge
network and the load to the other side as shown below.
The main advantages of a full-wave bridge rectifier is that it
has a smaller AC ripple value for a given load and a smaller
reservoir or smoothing capacitor than an equivalent half-wave
rectifier. Therefore, the fundamental frequency of the ripple
voltage is twice that of the AC supply frequency (100Hz) where
for the half-wave rectifier it is exactly equal to the supply
frequency (50Hz).

The amount of ripple voltage that is superimposed on top of the

DC supply voltage by the diodes can be virtually eliminated by
adding a much improved π-filter (pi-filter) to the output
terminals of the bridge rectifier. This type of low-pass filter
consists of two smoothing capacitors, usually of the same value
and a choke or inductance across them to introduce a high impedance path to the alternating ripple
component

Another more practical and cheaper alternative is to use an off the shelf
3-terminal voltage regulator IC, such as a LM78xx (where “xx” stands
for the output voltage rating) for a positive output voltage or its inverse
equivalent the LM79xx for a negative output voltage which can reduce
the ripple by more than 70dB (Datasheet) while delivering a constant
output current of over 1 amp.
power diodes can be used individually as above or connected together to
produce a variety of rectifier circuits such as “Half-Wave”, “Full-Wave” or as
“Bridge Rectifiers”. Each type of rectifier circuit can be classed as either
uncontrolled, half-controlled or fully controlled where an uncontrolled
rectifier uses only power diodes, a fully controlled rectifier uses thyristors
(SCRs) and a half controlled rectifier is a mixture of both diodes and
thyristors. e principal avantage de ce circuit de pont est qu’il ne nécessite pas un
transformateur spécial centre exploité, réduisant sa taille et coût. L’enroulement
secondaire unique est relié à un côté de la réseau de pont de diode et la charge de
l’autre côté comme indiqué ci-dessous.

The most commonly used individual power diode for basic electronics
applications is the general purpose 1N400x Series Glass Passivated type
rectifying diode with standard ratings of continuous forward rectified
current of about 1.0 ampere and reverse blocking voltage ratings from
50v for the 1N4001 up to 1000v for the 1N4007, with the small
1N4007GP being the most popular for general purpose mains voltage
rectification.
The arrow always points in the direction of conventional current flow
through the diode meaning that the diode will only conduct if a positive
supply is connected to the Anode, ( a ) terminal and a negative supply is
connected to the Cathode ( k ) terminal thus only allowing current to
flow through it in one direction only, acting more like a one way
electrical valve, ( Forward Biased Condition ).

However, we know from the previous tutorial that if we connect the

external energy source in the other direction the diode will block any
current flowing through it and instead will act like an open switch, (
Reversed Biased Condition ) as shown below.
1. Maximum Forward Current
The Maximum Forward Current ( IF(max) ) is as its name implies the
maximum forward current allowed to flow through the device.
When the diode is conducting in the forward bias condition, it has a
very small “ON” resistance across the PN junction and therefore,
power is dissipated across this junction ( Ohm´s Law ) in the form
of heat.

Then, exceeding its ( IF(max) ) value will cause more heat to be

generated across the junction and the diode will fail due to thermal
overload, usually with destructive consequences. When operating
diodes around their maximum current ratings it is always best to
provide additional cooling to dissipate the heat produced by the
diode.
For example, our small 1N4148 signal diode has a maximum current
rating of about 150mA with a power dissipation of 500mW at 25oC.
Then a resistor must be used in series with the diode to limit the
forward current, ( IF(max) ) through it to below this value. 1.
Maximum Forward Current

The Maximum Forward Current ( IF(max) ) is as its name implies the

maximum forward current allowed to flow through the device.
When the diode is conducting in the forward bias condition, it has a
very small “ON” resistance across the PN junction and therefore,
power is dissipated across this junction ( Ohm´s Law ) in the form
of heat.

Then, exceeding its ( IF(max) ) value will cause more heat to be

generated across the junction and the diode will fail due to thermal
overload, usually with destructive consequences. When operating
diodes around their maximum current ratings it is always best to
provide additional cooling to dissipate the heat produced by the
diode.

For example, our small 1N4148 signal diode has a maximum current
rating of about 150mA with a power dissipation of 500mW at 25oC.
Then a resistor must be used in series with the diode to limit the
forward current, ( IF(max) ) through it to below this value. 1.
Maximum Forward Current

The Maximum Forward Current ( IF(max) ) is as its name implies the

maximum forward current allowed to flow through the device.
When the diode is conducting in the forward bias condition, it has a
very small “ON” resistance across the PN junction and therefore,
power is dissipated across this junction ( Ohm´s Law ) in the form
of heat.

Then, exceeding its ( IF(max) ) value will cause more heat to be

generated across the junction and the diode will fail due to thermal
overload, usually with destructive consequences. When operating
diodes around their maximum current ratings it is always best to
provide additional cooling to dissipate the heat produced by the
diode. 1. Maximum Forward Current

The Maximum Forward Current ( IF(max) ) is as its name implies the

maximum forward current allowed to flow through the device.

When the diode is conducting in the forward bias condition, it has a

very small “ON” resistance across the PN junction and therefore,
power is dissipated across this junction ( Ohm´s Law ) in the form
of heat.

Then, exceeding its ( IF(max) ) value will cause more heat to be

generated across the junction and the diode will fail due to thermal
overload, usually with destructive consequences. When operating
diodes around their maximum current ratings it is always best to
provide additional cooling to dissipate the heat produced by the
diode.

For example, our small 1N4148 signal diode has a maximum current
rating of about 150mA with a power dissipation of 500mW at 25oC.
Then a resistor must be used in series with the diode to limit the
forward current, ( IF(max) ) through it to below this value.
For example, our small 1N4148 signal diode has a maximum current
rating of about 150mA with a power dissipation of 500mW at 25oC.
Then a resistor must be used in series with the diode to limit the

forward current, ( IF(m ax) )

through it to below this value.